


Snow Angels

by joshuaorrizonte



Category: The Arcana (Visual Novel)
Genre: Other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-18
Updated: 2019-12-18
Packaged: 2021-02-25 06:13:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,896
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21851230
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/joshuaorrizonte/pseuds/joshuaorrizonte
Summary: It's snowing in Vesuvia, and Asra has plans for fun in it.
Relationships: Apprentice/Asra (The Arcana)
Comments: 1
Kudos: 33





	Snow Angels

**Author's Note:**

  * For [queerplantbaby](https://archiveofourown.org/users/queerplantbaby/gifts).



> This is a Yule gift for the lovely QueerPlantBaby! Based on hir headcanons on tumblr about Asra and his parents playing in the snow.

When you wake in the morning, there’s a deep chill in the air that means one thing: snow. You disentangle yourself from Asra’s sleeping form and pad over to the window. Sure enough, a blanket of white covers everything in sight. 

You return to the bed sleepily, climbing back in and nestling under Asra’s arm. He sleepily lifts it to invite you back into his embrace, kissing your shoulder as you squirm as close to him as you can get. “Why’d you get up?” he asks, his voice low and husky with sleep. 

“Felt like snow. I wanted to see if it did.”

“Did it?”

“Yep.”

Asra nestles closer to you. “Good. I’ve been waiting for it to snow.”

You laugh through your nose. You never open the shop when it snows. Your earliest memory of snow is Asra wrapping you up in blankets and giving you hot cocoa. The second memory is of bundling you up and taking you outside, and Asra gently pressing a handful of snow to your cheek as you giggled and flinched away. Other than that, you’ve taken the snow days to take inventory and clean the shop. 

“If you thought we needed an inventory day,” you murmur against his throat, “you could’ve just said so.”

“We’re not taking inventory today,” Asra declares, making more of an effort to shake off sleep than he usually does.

You can’t help but be intrigued. “Oh?”

He nods, stroking your hair. “We’re going to meet with my parents- well, I am. You’re welcome to join us if you want.”

You smile. “What are we going to be doing?”

“Nothing in particular.” You can feel his smile. “When I was little my parents would take me sledding out in the fields. Dad was planning something for the next winter when they were... taken. He wants to show me now.”

“I wouldn’t want to intrude.”

He pulls away just enough to put two fingers under your chin and tilt your face up to look him in the eyes. “You can never intrude, because I _always_ want you to participate. You are my lover, and I always want to do things with you. Mom and Dad feel the same way. They can see how important you are to me, and you are. You’re the most important thing in my life.” He smiles. “But it’s always up to you if you want to go out with me. It’s going to be cold.”

You nod, smiling back. “I want to go out with you, if I’m welcome.”

“You’re always welcome. I mean it.” He bends to kiss you softly, and for once it doesn’t deepen into something hungry. He seems to see the question in your eyes as he runs a thumb over your lips. “We’re going to want to warm each other up when we get home, right? For now: breakfast.”

You’re certain that he’s just more hungry than aroused for once, but hide your assumption behind a grin and get out of bed with him. After a quick breakfast, the two of you bundle up and head to the palace. You're greeted warmly and shown to a salon, where you sit in companionable silence for several minutes, before Aisha and Salim appear in the doorway. They greet you enthusiastically, hugging you both. "Is it very cold out?" Aisha asks. 

"Cold enough," Asra replies, rubbing his still-cold hands together. "It'll be nice and wintry all day, at this rate. Don't have to worry about the snow melting. Just- what _is_ this surprise, Dad? I've wracked my brain and I can't think of anything that can top the speed oil."

"Speed oil?" you prompt.

Salim bursts into laughter. "I developed an oil that wouldn't melt the snow and made it about ten times as slick. You should've seen that sled go!"

"Yes, although it might be better that they didn't," Aisha adds. "I just about had a heart attack when you two went crashing into that snow drift."

Asra bursts out laughing. "It was one of the most fun things I remember from my childhood, though. You wouldn't happen to remember that formula, would you, Dad?"

"I might remember it. But for now, I have a surprise for you out by the hill we used to sled on. Are you warm enough to go back outside?"

Asra looks to you, and you nod. "I'm as warm as I'm going to get without wrapping up in blankets," you say. "What about you?"

"I'm not feeling the cold too much. Let's go out and see what this surprise is."

Together, the four of you head out of the palace and down to the servants' entrance, and then out to the fields beyond. You've spent a little bit of time out here since your return from the Devil's realm, mostly during outings with Nadia, Asra, Julian, and Portia, as Nadia taught you all how to ride horses. You know the hill Salim and Aisha are taking you to, and you're the first one to spot the contraption. "No way," you murmur, eyes widening.

Asra sees it as well and lets out a gleeful laugh, rubbing his gloved hands together. "So are we going down this hill together, Dad, or am I going at it alone?"

"Alone?" You turn to him, eyebrows raised. 

"I have to make sure it's safe before letting you near it."

"Asra Alnazar, you are _not_ doing this alone. I want to go down, too." 

Asra opens his mouth to argue with you, then closes it sheepishly. "I guess I'm going down with you, then. Do you _have_ any of that oil, Dad?"

"Absolutely not," Aisha says stridently. "That'd be far too dangerous."

"I'm more than capable of protecting myself, Mom."

"Oh, come on," Salim wheedles, reaching into his coat. Asra gives a little cheer, sounding a bit like a giddy child, as Salim pulls a small bottle out of his pocket. "I knew you were going to want to try it, so I made some up before hand. I'm not responsible for what happens, though. You're a grown adult. You know what you're getting into."

For a moment, you think Aisha is going to try to intervene again. She just shakes her head, smiling as well. You and Asra go to the sled, and together you slick up the bottom of it, then arrange yourselves on it, Asra in front, your arms around his torso. "Hold on tight," Asra says over his shoulder, a mischievous glint in his eye. "This thing is going to go _fast_. Ready?" You nod enthusiastically, and Asra pushes the sled off, down the hill. 

The sled picks up speed very quickly, and the wind whipping past you takes your breath away. Asra is laughing hysterically as you hit the ramp Salim built and are airborne. Your voice joins his as you soar through the air. You can feel Asra's magic engulfing you as the sled flies out from underneath you, and it and both of you crash into a snowdrift at the bottom of the hill. Asra is still laughing breathlessly as you crawl over to him and flop on top of him. His arms go around you as he kisses you fiercely. "That was _amazing_ ," he says as you separate. "Can we do it again?"

"Of course we can do it again," you laugh, and kiss him again.

* * *

You climb back up the hill and zoom down it again twice more before Salim insists on going down with Asra at least once. By then, Aisha is satisfied that there will be no broken bones or bumped heads, and offers to go down once with Salim, too. 

All worn out, the four of you make the trek back to the palace to defrost. Nadia and Julian join you in the salon, and minutes later, Portia does as well, bearing snacks and piping hot mugs of hot cocoa. You all describe the sledding outing, and Portia begs Salim for some of that oil. Julian protests, of course, but you can tell by the look in his eye that he's just as eager to go flying through the air on sleds as Portia is. "Alright," Salim finally says, grudgingly, "but we need to teach you how to use magic to soften the landing. You might want to wait for the next snowfall, too. We fairly well decimated the snowbank."

"That's fine!" Portia replies eagerly, clapping her hands together. "I can't wait!"

Two hours later, your frozen fingers and toes are warmed by the fire and hot cocoa, and as you stretch, Asra says, "We better get back to the shop. I don't want to be out after dark with it as cold as it is."

"Take care," Julian says in parting. "And come back at the next snowfall, at least. We'll all go out there together to go sledding." As he speaks, he glances at Nadia, who smiles and nods.

The rest of your goodbyes are said, hugs are given, and you and Asra make your way out of the palace and through the streets of Vesuvia. Snowmen dot the edge of the street, and Asra stops as he spies a snow angel. "I used to love making snow angels," he says wistfully.

You look at the snow angels alongside him for a few moments, before tugging him off down the street again. It's twilight, but you're almost to the shop. As you reach it, you let go of Asra's hand and drop into the snow in the walkway. "What are you doing?" Asra asks, bemused. 

"Making a snow angel!" you reply enthusiastically. "Come on!"

"We're a bit old to be making snow angels, aren't we?"

That gets you to sit up. "Asra, we just spent all day sledding. I think we're a bit beyond protesting that we're too old to do this."

He blushes. "Fair point." With that, he gets down on the ground next to you and lays back. You hold hands as you begin to move your arms and legs. 

A little laugh escapes Asra, and you turn your head to see him. "What's so funny?"

"It's not _funny_ ," he replies, grinning broadly as he looks at you. "I'm just so _happy_. It's been so long since I could say that."

You smile back. "I'm happy, too."

Asra looks at you for a moment longer before rolling over onto you, catching your other hand in his free one and leaning down to kiss you. You kiss back, entranced, until a spot of cold and wet falls on your cheek, and you pull away, looking over his shoulder. "It's snowing again," you observe quietly.

He smiles. "I guess we should go inside then, shouldn't we?"

"I think we should, yes." He bends to kiss you once more, then sits up on his knees, pulling you up with him. You help each other stand, and head into the shop, hand in hand and warm despite the chill in the air. "You know the snow is going to cover our snow angels," you say, as you start shedding your damp outer coats and gloves. 

He sweeps you up into an embrace. "We'll just have to make them again in the morning." With that, he kisses you again, slow and passionate and full of promise. 

And outside, the snow falls in the peace of the night.


End file.
